LO-FI NIGHT, FEBRUARY 10, 1988
(I still wanna know where the hell
the full video of that night is!)
In my previous installment I went back in time to pre-colonial Williamsburg, in honor of the new book partially informed by this blog and my recent nod from the Times. So it's only natural and inevitable that Part 2 should honor Adam Harper's forthcoming book on Lo-Fi, and provide more artifacts from my own personal performing history in the process. Let's dive right in...
JET SCREAMER & RAY ZINNBRANN MAY '88 -- Jet's flyer design for two shows Jennifer Blowdryer had booked for us after stumbling across us both by chance at our first shared bill at Cafe Bustelo the previous month. We almost didn't play the second one because the first one was a total disaster which left us cursing Jennifer afterward, though we should have been cursing some very angry neighbors instead for not taking kindly to our sounds. She'd end up making amends in a very major way by adding another act to the No Rio show at the last minute. This was our formal introduction to the Gamma Rays, and we fell so hard for them that we ended up crashing a party they were playing at later that night just to see them a second time.
At this party I also got to meet Kathleen Lynch, the go-go dancer who I'd seen perform with the Butthole Surfers twice the year before. Truly a night to remember on all levels. The No Rio gig was just one of the coolest gigs I was ever part of, and it was all worth the flat tire I got driving into NYC that night (which Jet's friends ultimately fixed for me). Jet and I would go on to form Living Guitars five months later... which brings us to...
NIGHT OF THE LIVING GUITARS, NOVEMBER 14, 1988: Jet and I had just become Living Guitars only two weeks previous to this show, which was to be our fourth (and final) shared billing as solo acts. We had only four songs under our belt but decided to just play what we had so far at this show, agreeing to cut our respective solo sets in half to make time for our debut as a duo. This show was at the strangest venue I've ever played at in my life. Cave Canem (misspelled on the flyer) was a former gay bath house with a very ancient Greek/Roman look to it!
We ended up (sort of) teasing our collaboration during my solo set when Jet hopped up to add backing vocals to "Joey Dee Rock & Roll Retirement Home," later to become a Living Guitars number. Jet did a nice cover of "Boys Don't Cry" by the Cure in his set, then I joined him and we left the crowd breathless. Jennifer Blowdryer, who I now totally confess I had a huge crush on back then, did a splendid job go-go dancing for us at my humble request on "Cast Your Vote."
One additional performer this night is not mentioned on my flyer as no one told me he was playing, namely Skinny Vinny, who I'd seen open for Fly Ashtray a few months before (which I still recall as one of the best live performances I ever saw) and was very happy to see again as he was one of the most unique and underrated performers of the era. (Thanks for the shout-out on Part 1, Vinny!) I taped the entire show and it's a treasure for sure. The Gamma Rays were really starting to solidify as a band by this point and I still consider them one of my all time favorites.
As for my flyer design, I took the guitar diagram from one of the "Play Guitar With The Ventures" volumes, as clearly evidenced by the fact that the electric guitar pictured is one of their signature Mosrite models. I'd seen and met the Ventures six months prior to this gig and their influence on Living Guitars is self-explanatory.
Here is part of a review of "The Phoaming Edison Tapes," the compilation album which emerged from our precious original Lo-Fi scene, from the April 27, 1990 issue of New York Press,. A very snobby review to say the least, though at least the reviewer noted my cool guitar squiggles...
I mentioned the great Linda Hagood and Smack Dab in Part 1 of this post. Here's one of the coolest and funniest old flyers I have, drawn by the great "Wooden" Thomas Kiernan a/k/a TJK Heywood of the Modern Day Carpetbaggers, whom Bill Berger once deemed his all-time favorite lo-fi group, and who had the absolute craziest track on "The Phoaming Edison Tapes." Dig the cool twist on the address. Mr. Heywood, BTW, shares with me a certain proclivity for new music women... (If you know, you know.)
My very first officially published work... from the summer 1986 edition of WFMU's old program guide/magazine LCD, a salute to the man who gave me my original signature tune "Let Your Mind Be Your Captain," the great early '70s teen idol Bobby Sherman. I have several old issues of LCD, and apart from the time trip, they really show just how times have changed at WFMU in 40 years' time, as well as occasionally spout some VERY politically incorrect content you'd be instantly canceled for today...
I don't know how (or why) the hell I still have this, but I do: the complete script for "Pee-Pee's Flophouse," a 1987 R-rated shot-on-VHS spoof of "Pee-Wee's Playhouse" starring Chris Tsakis in the lead role, in which I appeared as myself and lip-synced to a pre-recorded version of "Let Your Mind Be Your Captain," and Bill Berger played a drug dealer. I really hope it never appears on Youtube (or anywhere else), as I recall it being truly the worst film ever shot in all of home-video history. I'll say no more.
And finally... I have original handwritten and typewritten lyrics to several classic Brazen songs, of course, but here's the one example that's most noteworthy: the words to "Joey Dee Rock & Roll Retirement Home," written way back when I was 23 years old. Oh, how this song is coming back to bite my ass now... and by the way, G.P.(O.O.T.) stands for Great Productions (Of Our Time).
And that's a wrap on my little lo-fi museum. Next time I'll be going way back to my childhood for some truly interesting stuff. Stay tuned cuz the Brazenblog's back to STAY this time for sure!
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